Jimmy Bennamani
| cityofbirth = Constantine | countryofbirth = Algeria | dateofdeath = | cityofdeath = | countryofdeath = | height = | position = Forward | currentclub = New Castle | clubnumber = 9 | youthyears = | youthclubs = | years = 2013-2015 2015-2018 2018- | clubs = Ajaccio Banks City New Castle | caps(goals) = | nationalyears = | nationalteam = Algeria | nationalcaps(goals) = | manageryears = | managerclubs = }} Yaqub "Jimmy" Bennamani (born May 15, 1985) is an Algerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Gregorian League A club New Castle and the Algeria national team. Club career Banks City Bennamani signed with Banks City, then in League B, on January 26, 2015, and signed a three-and-a-half-year contract. He made his debut for the club on January 31 in a 3-0 home victory over Holland County. He scored his first goal for City one week later, on February 7, in second half stoppage time as City drew 2-2 away at Bonneville Juniors. On March 21, Bennamani scored his first goal in SGFA Cup competition, scoring the winning goal in a quarter-final match against Bonneville United at Ford Stadium. City won the match 2-1 to advance to the semi-finals. Bennamani recorded his first League A goal on October 10, 2015, in City's first match of the 2015-16 League A season, a 2-1 away win over Union Town. He was held off the score sheet until November 20, when he opened the scoring in a 3-0 home win against Port St. Christopher Pirates. In City's next match, on November 28, he scored his first hat-trick of the season in a 6-5 win at Rivergate that set a record for the highest-scoring League A match of all time. He added two more goals to his total on December 5 as City beat Winston Beach 2-0 at home. At the end of the 2015 calendar year, Bennamani's 8 goals placed him second in League A goalscoring behind Kane O'Bray. Just two minutes into his first match of 2016, on January 4, Bennamani suffered a sprained ankle in a tackle from Bonneville Juniors' Dion Clauson. He was able to walk off the field under his own power but later diagnosis revealed he would be out for approximately 3-4 weeks. In the summer of 2016, Bennamani switched his shirt number from 29 to 9, a number that became available when veteran striker Derek Woodley left the club. Bennamani scored 15 goals in 2016-17, tied for fifth-best in League A. He recorded a brace in a 2-0 River derby victory over Little Rouge on November 5, 2016, and had another two-goal performance in a losing effort to Independence on March 11, 2017. In City's 2017-18 season opener at home to Starrs County on September 30, 2017, Bennamani suffered a hamstring injury in warm-ups and was ruled out for the game. He missed almost three months before returning to action on December 16 and scoring in City's 3-0 win over Helena Point Rangers. Recurrences of his injury meant he only played sporadically throughout the season, scoring just five goals in 2017-18, his lowest total at City. Bennamani and Banks City continued to negotiate a contract extension past the expiration on July 1, 2018. A report on emsport's League A Today claimed that Bennamani had turned down a contract offer to play for RivalSport due to his Muslim faith (RivalSport owner Brian Ruff is an atheist); Bennamani publicly denied this report, saying that he had met with RivalSport and that the sides could not agree on a contract, but that religion did not play a part in his decision. Ultimately, Bennamani and Banks City were unable to come to terms on a contract and he became a free agent. New Castle On July 31, 2018, Bennamani signed a two-year deal with another League A club, New Castle. He made his debut on September 22 in a season-opening 2-0 win against his former club, Banks City. He scored his first goal for the Reds in a derby win over Bonneville United on October 19, resulting in a 1-0 win for New Castle; Bennamani had a chance to make it 2-0 when he was awarded a penalty, but it was saved by United goalkeeper Brendan Egan. Bennamani suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee during New Castle's 2-1 win over Cape Wells Wanderers on January 28, 2019, and was substituted off early in the game. He underwent a meniscectomy and missed six weeks of play, finally returning to the field on March 16 in a 2-1 away win at Rangers, where he scored the winning goal from the penalty spot. Personal life Bennamani speaks English, French and Arabic. He is a devout Muslim and is married with two sons. Category:Player pages Category:New Castle F.C. players Category:Banks City F.C. players Category:People from Algeria